Showing posts with label ESA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESA. Show all posts

5 Space Missions That Will Define 2026

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5 Space Missions That Will Define 2026

The five biggest space missions of 2026 are: NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby, SpaceX’s Starship Mars test missions, ISRO’s Gaganyaan G1 human spaceflight test, ESA’s Solar Maximum studies, and China’s Chang’e 7 lunar south pole exploration.

🚀 Top 5 Space Missions of 2026

Mission Agency Objective Significance
Artemis II NASA First crewed lunar flyby in decades; 4 astronauts on Orion spacecraft Tests life-support, navigation, and deep-space systems before lunar landing
Starship Mars Missions SpaceX Cargo missions to Mars; testing atmospheric entry and landing Paves way for future human Mars colonization
Gaganyaan G1 ISRO Uncrewed test flight with humanoid robot Vyommitra Validates systems for India’s first human spaceflight program
Solar Maximum / Aditya-L1 ESA & ISRO Study solar activity during peak cycle Critical for understanding solar storms and protecting satellites
Chang’e 7 CNSA (China) Lunar south pole exploration with orbiter, lander, rover, and flying probe Targets water ice and resources for long-term lunar presence

Brief Details of 2026’s Major Space Missions

Mission Agency Launch Window Key Details Significance
Artemis II NASA Feb–Apr 2026 First crewed mission of Artemis program; 4 astronauts on Orion spacecraft Validates systems before lunar landing; first human lunar flyby in 50+ years
Starship Mars Missions SpaceX 2026 Uncrewed cargo missions to Mars; testing entry and landing Step toward crewed Mars flights; validates interplanetary logistics
Gaganyaan G1 ISRO March 2026 Uncrewed orbital test with humanoid robot Vyommitra Validates crew module and re‑entry systems; India’s first human spaceflight program
Aditya‑L1 ISRO Peak in 2026 Solar observatory at L1 point studying Sun during solar maximum Provides data on solar storms; protects satellites and power grids
Chang’e 7 CNSA (China) Aug 2026 Orbiter, lander, rover, and hopping probe at lunar south pole Targets water ice; tests technologies for sustainable lunar habitation

Why These Missions Matter

  • Artemis II: Marks NASA’s return to crewed lunar missions after more than 50 years.
  • Starship Mars Missions: Bold attempt to test interplanetary logistics, crucial for Mars colonization.
  • Gaganyaan G1: India’s leap into human spaceflight, positioning ISRO among elite agencies.
  • Solar Maximum / Aditya-L1: Studying solar activity helps safeguard Earth’s power grids and satellites.
  • Chang’e 7: Could unlock lunar water ice, vital for sustaining human bases.

Challenges & Risks

  • Technical hurdles: Artemis II must flawlessly validate Orion’s systems.
  • Mars entry risks: Starship faces extreme challenges in atmospheric entry and landing.
  • Human safety: Gaganyaan’s success is critical before India attempts crewed missions.
  • Solar unpredictability: Solar Maximum studies depend on precise timing of solar cycles.
  • Resource competition: Chang’e 7 raises geopolitical questions about space mining rights.
2026 is shaping up as a historic year in space exploration, with multiple nations pushing boundaries beyond Earth orbit. Each mission is not just a technical milestone but also a geopolitical statement of leadership in space.

Eclipses on Demand: How ESA Is Casting Shadows in Space to Illuminate the Sun

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Eclipses on Demand: How ESA Is Casting Shadows in Space to Illuminate the Sun

For centuries, astronomers have waited patiently for solar eclipses to glimpse the Sun’s ethereal halo. Now? They’re making their own.

In a move straight from a science fiction script, the European Space Agency (ESA) has created a man-made solar eclipse in space—and it’s not just a one-time show. Using two satellites flying in tight formation, ESA’s Proba-3 mission is rewriting the rules of solar observation.

Scientists have figured out how to make a solar eclipse whenever they want, using two special satellites flying above Earth.

The European Space Agency launched a project called Proba-3. It has two satellites:
  • One blocks the sunlight (like putting your thumb over a torch).
  • The other takes pictures of the Sun’s outer layer, called the corona—a glowing, mysterious area that's hard to see normally.
These two satellites fly in perfect sync, 150 meters apart. That’s how they create a fake or artificial eclipse!

They can do this many times a week, and each eclipse lasts up to six hours—much longer than ones on Earth.

Notably, the Proba-3 mission satellites were launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using their trusted PSLV-C59 rocket. The launch took place on December 5, 2024, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. 

Why Is This a Big Deal?
  • Scientists can now study massive solar blasts that mess with mobile networks, GPS, and power.
  • They can examine the solar wind, which affects satellites and space weather.
  • They're also closer to solving a mystery: Why is the Sun’s outer layer hotter than its surface?
They’ve already taken stunning images—green loops, fire-like arcs, and hidden details of the Sun.

It’s like building a permanent space lab to study our star. Maybe one day, we’ll even see artificial eclipses on Mars!

Precision Shadowplay in Orbit

Eclipses on Demand: How ESA Is Casting Shadows in Space to Illuminate the Sun

At the heart of the mission are two spacecraft with poetic roles: the Occulter, which blocks sunlight using a 1.4-meter disk, and the Coronagraph, trailing behind at a razor-precise 150 meters, poised to observe the Sun’s corona—its wispy, superheated outer atmosphere.

The magic lies in their dance: millimeter-perfect alignment sustained autonomously in space, simulating a solar eclipse for up to six hours. No more relying on fleeting eclipses; now, solar scientists get multiple custom eclipses per week.

And nestled aboard the Coronagraph is ESA’s pride—ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun). This instrument uses layered exposures to pierce the Sun’s glare and reveal its hidden anatomy.

ISRO and ESA Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Astronaut Training, Research Experiments

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ISRO and ESA Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Astronaut Training, Research Experiments

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a significant agreement to enhance cooperation in human spaceflight.

This collaboration focuses on astronaut training, mission implementation, and research experiments.

Key highlights of the agreement include:

1. Astronaut Training: Joint training programs for astronauts, including participation in ESA's human physiological studies and technology demonstration experiments.

2. Mission Implementation: Collaboration on the upcoming Axiom-4 mission, where an ISRO astronaut and an ESA astronaut will be part of the crew.

3. Research Experiments: Development and integration of experiments designed by Indian Principal Investigators aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This means that Indian astronauts can use ESA facilities ISS, cooperation on human and biomedical research experiment implementation as well as joint education and outreach activities.

4. Educational Outreach: Joint initiatives to promote space science and technology education.

5. Interoperability: Enhancing interoperability between human spaceflight platforms, including India's upcoming Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).

Dr. S Somanath in his remarks highlighted that ISRO has defined a roadmap for human space flight activities and the recent approval of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) present an opportunity to develop interoperability between human spaceflight platforms. ESA Director General, Dr. Aschbacher, thanked Dr. Somanath for speaking at ESA Council and remarked that the agreement provides a strong basis of cooperation between the two agencies.

The leadership of both ISRO and ESA expressed satisfaction with the progress of joint activities for the upcoming Axiom-4 mission and underlined the need for continuing cooperative activities in the area of human spaceflight in future.

This partnership aims to boost India's human spaceflight capabilities and foster global collaboration in space exploration.

To recall, in late last month ISRO has also signed an Implementing Arrangement (IA) with Australian Space Agency (ASA) to strengthen cooperation in space activities. This agreement is focused on crew and crew module recovery for ISRO's Gaganyaan missions.

ISRO, ESA and NASA Team Up to Study Asteroid Apophis During Its 2029 Flyby

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ISRO, ESA and NASA Team Up to Study Asteroid Apophis During Its 2029 Flyby

An asteroid, named after Egyptian deity of destruction, — Apophis — will come remarkably close to Earth during its flyby in 2029. At its closest approach, it will be about 19,000 miles (30,500 kilometers) from our planet's surface. To put this in perspective, that's closer than some of our geostationary satellites.

This close encounter provides a unique and rare opportunity for detailed observations and scientific study. Space agencies of USA and Europe – NASA and ESA – are gearing up to learn more about this intriguing asteroid.

In a latest now Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), ESA and NASA have team up to Study Asteroid Apophis During Its 2029 Flyby. 

Asteroid 99942 Apophis is a near-Earth object (NEO) estimated to be about 1,100 feet (335 meters) across. Initially considered one of the most hazardous asteroids, its impact assessment changed after precise orbit analysis. Recent radar observations ruled out any impact risk for at least a century, including the close approaches in 2029 and 2036.

ESA's Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) mission aims to closely study Apophis during its safe but exceptionally close flyby of Earth in 2029. Ramses will provide valuable insights into this large asteroid, enhancing our preparedness for future asteroid threats.

NASA already has a probe to study Apophis after its 2029 flyby, complementing ESA's efforts.

While ISRO is not directly involved in the collaborative study of asteroid Apophis in 2029, their contributions to space exploration and scientific research are noteworthy. ISRO is India's national space agency, known for its successful satellite launches, lunar missions (such as Chandrayaan-2), and Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). The Indian Space agency has expertise in remote sensing, communication
satellites, and interplanetary exploration.

However, according to reports ISRO may send its own spacecraft or collaborate with NASA and ESA to enhance the overall mission's scientific return. The Indian Space agency plans to observe Apophis during its 2029 flyby, though specific mission details are still under consideration.

ISRO has emphasized the real possibility of an asteroid impact on Earth, and the space agency is actively working on planetary defense efforts.

ISRO continues to expand its capabilities, and future collaborations may involve joint efforts in planetary defense and space science

Remember, space exploration is a collective endeavor, and each agency's contributions enhance our understanding of the cosmos. 

ISRO To Launch Europe's Proba-3 Spacecraft that Artificially Creates Solar Eclipse in Space

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ISRO To Launch Europe's Proba-3 Spacecraft that Artificially Creates Solar Eclipse in Space

Following the recent Total Solar Eclipse, India's space agency, ISRO, is preparing to launch Europe's Proba-3 spacecraft. This mission aims to artificially create solar eclipses in space.

The mission will involve two small satellites that will launch together and then separate to fly in tandem. The goal is to prepare for future multi-satellite missions that fly as one virtual structure. 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the Proba-3 spacecraft. The mission will involve a pair of satellites that will fly together to form a 144-meter long solar coronagraph. The coronagraph will enable closer study of the Sun's corona, a mysterious layer usually only visible during solar eclipses.

Proba-3 is part of a series of PROBA satellites that are used to validate new spacecraft technologies and concepts while also carrying scientific instruments.

The purpose of Proba-3 is to conduct precision formation flying to create a solar coronagraph, enabling closer study of the Sun's corona.

Proba-3 will be the world’s first mission to conduct precision formation flying in space. A pair of satellites will not only fly together but also form a 144-meter-long solar coronagraph.

The Sun's corona, hotter than the Sun itself, is the origin of space weather. Proba-3 aims to bridge the observational gap between the low and high corona, offering insights into this enigmatic region. The corona is usually visible only during solar eclipses. Proba-3 will study it closer to the solar rim than ever before.

European Space Agency (ESA) has developed cutting-edge technologies for precise positioning and coordination of the spacecraft, including cold gas thrusters and vision-based detection systems, ensuring millimeter-scale accuracy.

ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will carry Proba-3 into a high Earth orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The launch date is yet to be finalized.

ESA's another spacecraft, Proba-2, captured two instances of the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, providing valuable data from its Sun-synchronous orbit around 700 km above Earth's surface.

ISRO's collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Proba-3 mission marks a significant step in space exploration. It offers new possibilities for studying the Sun's corona and advancing our understanding of solar phenomena.

How Proba-3 maintain its formation flying?

Proba-3, the world's first precision formation flying mission, demonstrates cutting-edge technologies for highly-precise satellite coordination. Proba-3's precision formation flying relies on coordinated maneuvers between the Coronagraph and Occulter, allowing unprecedented observations of the Sun's elusive corona.


The goal of this mission is to prove formation flying technologies and conduct rendezvous experiments.

Coronagraph and Occulter

Proba-3 Formation Flying
Proba-3 Formation Flying 

Proba-3 consists of a pair of small satellites that fly together, maintaining a fixed configuration as a large rigid structure' in Space. The two satellites — the Coronagraph and the Occulter — work in tandem. During their orbits, they form a straight line in space with the Sun exactly 144 meters apart.

The Occulter spacecraft, equipped with a round disk, casts a shadow onto the Coronagraph spacecraft. By doing so, the Occulter blocks out the brilliant solar disk, allowing the Coronagraph to image the Sun's wispy outer atmosphere, known as its corona, for up to six hours at a time.

Ground and space observatories often incorporate Sun-blocking coronagraphs, but their effectiveness is limited by light spilling around disk edges, a phenomenon called diffraction. Proba-3's approach reduces diffraction by hosting the coronagraph on a separate spacecraft. The Occulter's edge has been precisely curved to further minimize diffraction effects.

While Proba-3 is primarily a technology-testing mission, its main payload is a science instrument focused on the Sun.

Once in orbit, the Occulter and Coronagraph satellites will autonomously perform precision formation flying, maintaining a distance of 150 meters apart, enabling six hours of observation per orbit.

Sustained observation of the corona will address mysteries such as why it is a million degrees Celsius hotter than the Sun's surface.

The ESA has collaborated with Belgium's Centre Spatial de Liège (CSL), and other European partners to ensure a successful mission.

ISRO To Launch an Europe's Proba-3 Spacecraft that Artifically Create Solar Eclipse in Space


Space Telescopes of NASA and ESA To Jointly Investigate Why Universe Expansion is Speeding Up

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Space Telescopes of NASA and ESA To Jointly Investigate Why Universe Expansion is Speeding Up

Observations show that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, such that the velocity at which a distant galaxy recedes from the observer is continuously increasing with time. The accelerated expansion of the universe was first discovered during 1998 and since then it remains one of the most pressing mysteries in Astrophysics.

Recently, a new space telescope named Euclid was successfully launched by ESA (European Space Agency) with important contributions from NASA. Euclid was launched on July 1st on a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. 

Euclid mission will explore why the universe’s expansion is speeding up. Scientists call the unknown cause of this cosmic acceleration “dark energy.” By May 2027, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will join ESA's Euclid to explore this puzzle in ways that have never been possible before.

ESA’s Euclid and NASA’s Roman spacecraft will work in complementary ways to shed light on some of the universe’s most mysterious components.

Scientists are unsure whether the universe’s accelerated expansion is caused by an additional energy component or whether it signals that our understanding of gravity needs to be changed in some way. Astronomers will use Roman and Euclid to test both theories at the same time, and scientists expect both missions to uncover important information about the underlying workings of the universe.

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

The first observational evidence for the existence of Dark Energy came from measurements of supernovas, which showed that the universe does not expand at a constant rate; rather, the universe's expansion is accelerating.

Roman and Euclid will provide separate streams of compelling new data to fill in gaps in our understanding. They’ll attempt to pin down cosmic acceleration’s cause in a few different ways.

NASA's Roman Space Telescope has a 2.4m telescope, the same size as of legendary Hubble telescope, but with a view 100 times greater than Hubble’s, capturing more of the sky with less observing time.

While the ESA's Euclid spacecraft will have a launch mass of around 2100 kg and about 4.5 metres tall and 3.1 metres in 'diameter' (with appendages stowed).

Euclid
Euclid

Euclid and Roman are both designed to study cosmic acceleration, but using different and complementary strategies. Both missions will make 3D maps of the universe to answer fundamental questions about the history and structure of the universe. Together, they will be much more powerful than either individually.

Euclid will observe a far larger area of the sky – approximately 15,000 square degrees, or about a third of the sky – in both infrared and optical wavelengths of light, but with less detail than Roman. It will peer back 10 billion years to when the universe was about 3 billion years old.

Besides this, the two missions will also study the way galaxies clustered together in different cosmic eras.

Scientists have detected a pattern in the way galaxies congregate from measurements of the nearby universe. For any galaxy today, we are about twice as likely to find another galaxy about 500 million light-years away than a little nearer or farther.

This distance has grown over time due to the expansion of space. By looking farther out into the universe, to earlier cosmic times, astronomers can study the preferred distance between galaxies in different eras. Seeing how it has changed will reveal the expansion history of the universe. Seeing how galaxy clustering varies over time will also enable an accurate test of gravity. This will help astronomers differentiate between an unknown energy component and various modified gravity theories as explanations for cosmic acceleration.

Indian Scientists with the Help of James Webb Telescope Formulate Model To Trace Elusive Exo-Moons

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Indian Scientists With The Help of James Webb Telescope Formulate Model To Trace Elusive Exo-Moons

This may also help detect habitable exo-moons in the future and understand new worlds beyond our own.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is touted as the most powerful telescope ever built, was successfully placed in outer space last year in December. And, with the help of this JWST, scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, have developed a model to trace the so far elusive exomoons – natural satellites that revolve around exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun).

So far, five thousand exoplanets --- planets orbiting stars other than the Sun, have been discovered by using several ground-based and space telescopes such as Kepler, CoRoT, Spitzer, and Hubble space telescopes. However, the natural satellites or exomoon around any of these planets still remain untraced.

Scientists at the IIA, Bangalore, which is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have demonstrated that the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is sufficiently powerful to detect the transit signal of exomoons in the photometric light curves of moon hosting exoplanets.

Schematic diagram of moon hosting exoplanet and its model photometric transit light curve


Professor Sujan Sengupta and his graduate student Suman Saha have developed an analytical model that uses the radius and orbital properties of the host planet and its moon as parameters to model the photometric transit light curve of moon-hosting exoplanets by incorporating various possible orientations of the moon-planet-star system. 

The co-alignment or non-coalignment of the orbits of the planet and the moon are used as parameters (using two angular parameters), and they can be used to model all the possible orbital alignments for a star-planet-moon system. Using these generic models and the analysis of photometric transit light curves of exoplanets that is being obtained by JWST, a large number of exomoons can be detected in near future. 

According to the researchers, an exo-moon around a gas giant planet like Jupiter in the habitable zone of the host star where temperature is appropriate for water to exist in liquid state may harbour life. Under favourable alignment of moon-planet-star, such exomoon may also be detected by JWST. The research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, which is published by the American Astronomical Society (AAS).

Europe Space Agency Creating Robotic Space Servicing Vehicle Capable of Servicing and Re-Fuelling of Satellites in Orbit

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ESA’s proposed e.Deorbit mission, shown left, using a robotic arm to catch a derelict satellite. [Image credits  ESA–David Ducros, 2016/ www.esa.int]

European Space Agency (ESA) is working on a project of making a space servicing vehicle equipped with robotic arm that can perform satellites-servicing tasks like refueling, refurbishing, and boosting of satellites already in orbit.

Called as 'e.Deorbit', the space-vehicle would be a ‘Swiss Army knife’ of a satellite with the agility, capability and autonomy to perform all kinds of complex tasks in space, such as refuelling high-value satellites reaching the end of their lives, adding new equipment to them, or attaching to them to move them to new orbits.

According to the ESA press announcement, the proposed e.Deorbit was first introduced in 2013 to safely deorbit the derelict [unused or abandoned] ESA-operated satellite called 'Envisat', which is still orbiting in highly trafficked low-Earth orbit (LEO). Envisat stopped working in 2012 without any notice. After losing contact with the satellite on 8 April 2012, ESA formally announced the end of Envisat's mission on 9 May 2012.

e.Deorbit will be the first-ever active debris removal mission - capturing the satellite in a net attached to a tether (as in image below).

A capture concept being explored through ESA's e.Deorbit [Image credits  ESA–David Ducros, 2016/ www.esa.int] 

The e.Deorbit mission is conceived under the Clean Space initiative, through which ESA aims to remove active space debris. The aim of this mission is to remove a single large ESA-owned debris from orbit, which will be the first-ever active debris removal mission. The mission was presented at ESA's Council meeting at Ministerial level, Lucerne, 1-2 December 2016.

[Image credits  ESA–David Ducros, 2016/ www.esa.int]

In current ongoing race for megaconstellation of satellites, any failing satellite that breaks ranks might threaten the entire constellation around it, so dedicated space servicing vehicles especially tailored for the role could well play an essential ‘sheepdog’ role within megaconstellations, says ESA.

"Active debris removal is seen as particularly valuable for the imminent age of megaconstellations, when hundreds or even thousands of satellites will be formation flying in low orbits to offer low-latency telecommunications or global high-repeat Earth observation coverage.", ESA added.

“Today we have the funding to develop relevant technologies but not to actually remove a defunct satellite,” explained in a statement Luisa Innocenti, head of the Clean Space initiative. “Instead, we have asked industry to make proposals to remove a defunct ESA object while demonstrating in-orbit servicing – the new path to a potentially very valuable business.”

The Most Powerful Telescope Ever Built and Worth $10 Bn To Launch in October

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Image ~  James Webb Space Telescope

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), which is touted as the most powerful telescope ever built, remains on schedule for a launch readiness date no earlier than Oct. 31, 2021. However, Webb has no launch date constraints; hence, it can launch almost any day of this year, said NASA in a release.

A premier observatory of the next decade, the James Webb Space Telescope is fully booked by scientist around the world to peer at other planets and the origins of the universe. These include about 400 studies that are scheduled and could reveal secrets about the oldest galaxies, inhabitable planets and even the dawn of the universe, scientists said.

The Webb telescope, named for NASA’s second administrator, James E. Webb, is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, with the cost approaching $10 billion.

Webb is an international collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It as a 5-layer sunshield that protects the telescope from the infrared radiation of the Sun, Earth, and Moon; like having sun protection of SPF 1 million.

Webb will orbit the Sun 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth. (Hubble orbits 560 kilometers above the Earth)

Webb’s Golden Mirror Wings Open One Last Time on Earth
[Image ~  James Webb Space Telescope]

Webb will be the largest telescope ever placed in space; 100 times more powerful than Hubble. So big it has to fold origami-style to fit in the rocket and will unfold like a "Transformer" in space. It will peer back in time over 13.5 billion years to see the first galaxies born after the Big Bang.

Once launched, Webb will be the largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built and launched into space. It will fundamentally alter humans' understanding of the universe. The powerful telescope will orbit the sun, a million miles away from Earth at the second Lagrange point. (L2 is four times further away than the moon!)

The Story of Webb

NASA aims to finally launch it Oct. 31 aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket made by France-based Arianespace from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. This is the European Space Agency’s contribution to the international project, which also involved the Canadian Space Agency.

The Webb observatory will be much larger the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched in 1990. Webb’s main mirror, or light-gathering surface, is 21 feet across, compared to Hubble’s at 7.8 feet. Webb’s solar shield, which will keep its infrared instruments cold in space, is about the size of a tennis court. The telescope will orbit the sun, almost one million miles from Earth.

The longer wavelengths enable Webb to look much closer to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies, as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.

Astronomer and physics professor at Arizona State University, Rogier Windhorst, said --
It’s going to be like Galileo first looking at the sky through a telescope. Our eyes are going to be reopened to the universe. …So, we’re going to see new and unexpected things that we’ve never dreamed of before.

Webb will ship to the launch site in August with little to no schedule margin; launch processing will take two months. The observatory has completed all the post-environmental testing deployments, and it is in its final integration and folding stages. Final stow, closeout, and pack and ship are imminent. 

NASA is working closely with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace on establishing the launch date. 

Webb will study every phase in the history of our universe, including the first luminous glows after the creation of the cosmos, the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, and the evolution of our own solar system.

Satellites May Start Malfunctioning as Earth's Magnetic Field Weakens

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Earth’s magnetic field is gradually weakening which is resulting in technical disturbances in some satellites orbiting the Earth. According to the reports, a rapid shrink has been observed in the South Atlantic Anomaly. The 'South Atlantic Anomaly' (SAA) is referred to the behaviour of Earth's Geo-Magnetic field in an area between Africa and South America.

Over the last 200 years, the magnetic field has lost around 9% of its strength on a global average, said the European Space Agency (ESA). A large and rapid shrink has been observed in SAA region over the past 50 years just as the area itself has grown and moved westward.

The weakening of the magnetic field is also causing technical difficulties for the satellites and spacecrafts orbiting the planet.

The study, conducted between 1970 and 2020, said that the magnetic field weakened considerably in a large region stretching from Africa to South America, known as the 'South Atlantic Anomaly'. This area has grown and moved westward at a rate of around 20km per year.

The reason for the reducing magnetic field is not entirely known and researchers/scientists are using Swarm constellation of ESA and international consortium called "Swarm Data, Innovation and Science Cluster (DISC)" to improve their understating of this area and the anomaly. Swarm is a ESA's mission to study the Earth's magnetic field.

An ESA article on the matter, said -
Earth’s magnetic field is vital to life on our planet. It is a complex and dynamic force that protects us from cosmic radiation and charged particles from the Sun. The magnetic field is largely generated by an ocean of superheated, swirling liquid iron that makes up the outer core around 3000 km beneath our feet. Acting as a spinning conductor in a bicycle dynamo, it creates electrical currents, which in turn, generate our continuously changing electromagnetic field.

In the Video below, which is made available by ESA, shows the dots on the map that indicate individual events when Swarm instruments registered the impact of radiation from April 2014 to August 2019. The background is the magnetic field strength at the satellite altitude of 450 km.



"It has been speculated whether the current weakening of the field is a sign that Earth is heading for an eminent pole reversal – in which the north and south magnetic poles switch places. Such events have occurred many times throughout the planet’s history and even though we are long overdue by the average rate at which these reversals take place (roughly every 250 000 years), the intensity dip in the South Atlantic occurring now is well within what is considered normal levels of fluctuations," said ESA article.

Currently, there is no reason to panic, at least at surface level. However, satellites and other spacecraft flying through the SAA area are more likely to experience technical malfunctions as the magnetic field is weaker in this region, so charged particles can penetrate the altitudes of low-Earth orbit satellites, said the ESA.

[caption id="attachment_145792" align="alignright" width="289"] Front of Swarm satellite[/caption]

Meanwhile, magnetic field observations from Swarm satellites are providing new insights into the scarcely understood processes of Earth’s interior. The Swarm satellites can identify and measure the the various magnetic signals that combine to make up the Earth's magnetic field.In the last five years, a second centre of minimum intensity has developed towards southwest of Africa. Researchers believe that this could mean that the anomaly can split into two separate cells.

How Europe Deploys its Space Tech to Prevent Lockdown Chaos and Help Logistics Firms in Coronavirus Outbreak

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Enforcement of COVID-19 Lockdown around the world is causing chaos and mis-happenings, and a recent train accident in India resulting death of 16 migrant workers is one of several examples that lockdown can be deadly if not handled carefully and strategically.

To prevent such chaos caused by Coronavirus lockdown, Europe (EU) has deployed its space technology or essentially its Space Programme to strengthen its response during the coronavirus. With more than 30 satellites, the EU's Space Programme - principally through its Earth Observation component Copernicus and its satellite navigation system, Galileo - has been deployed to strengthen Europe's response during the coronavirus.

To prevent chaos on Europe's motorways caused by lockdown, the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) and European Commission have developed the 'Galileo Green Lane' app, which provides both drivers and border officials with accurate and real-time information on traffic at the EU's internal border crossings, giving drivers the chance to choose alternative routes, or at the very least have advanced warning of long delays.

[caption id="attachment_145256" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Greenlane App Greenlane App[/caption]

Galileo Green Lane app enables borders to meet the ‘Green Lane’ requirements, enabling the flow of traffic under 15 minutes. The app also ease the flow of freight through borders and enable the efficient transit of critical goods.

Galileo, which is EU's Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS), is sometimes called the ’European GPS‘ and provides accurate positioning and timing information.

Galileo is a programme under civilian control and its data can be used for a broad range of applications. It is autonomous but also interoperable with existing satellite navigation systems. At the moment, the Galileo constellation consists of 26 satellites.

[caption id="attachment_145255" align="aligncenter" width="1017"] Galileo Green Lane will help reduce freight bottlenecks at EU borders[/caption]

For truck drivers, the app provides a real-time visualisation of borders, through an EU-wide map indicating crossing times. This enables logistic companies and drivers to better prepare their routes, having advance knowledge of the waiting time at each border crossing. In addition, the Member States can notify drivers via the app about the type of cargo that can access the priority lane.

The app also feature a user interface providing drivers with a real-time visualization of borders of interest to them, through an EU-wide map indicating Green Lane border crossing times. When drivers enter a geo-fenced area within a specified distance to a border, they can receive a notification produced by the border officers on the situation at that border.

Notably, a Green Lane is a TEN-T border crossing, where the time taken to cross the border is less than 15 minutes. The TEN-T (Trans-European transport NeTwork) is a network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. There are 180 border crossing points in the network.





The location of drivers is collected anonymously only when they are approaching the border and it is solely used to update the overall border picture. Crowdsourced information from different sources is aggregated, including data from the leading European real-time visibility platform Sixfold.

On other hand, Earth observation data from Copernicus, the EU's Earth Observation Programme for looking at planet Earth and its environment for the benefit of European citizens, has been used to better understand the impact of traffic congestion at borders between EU Member States. Copernicus contributed to helping national authorities make informed decisions on how to ease congestion caused by measures taken that helped reduce the spread of the virus.

With more than 16TB of full, free and open data per day, Copernicus delivers precious information to the scientific community to monitor and evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.

Copernicus data combined with analytics tools and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are helping to better understand the consequences of the crisis, to mitigate its potential impacts and anticipate new models for the recovery period.



Indian Cities Saw ~40-50% Drop in Air Pollution following Lockdown - NASA & EU Space Agency

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After Coronavirus pandemic started spreading in the country, the lockdown imposed by the Indian government across Indian states has shown a positive effect on air quality across India. COVID-19 lockdown that started on 25 March, has made the air-quality improved in the country with a remarkable reduction in pollution levels across major Indian cities, especially northern India.

According to a report by the European Space Agency (ESA), Mumbai and Delhi have witnessed a significant reduction of around 40 to 50% of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compared to the same period last year.

An another report by NASA says that -- after just a week of reduced human activities, NASA satellite sensors observed aerosol levels at a 20-year low for this time of year in Northern India. This is due to the country-wide lock-down mandate that resulted in decreased activity at factories and severely reduced car, bus, truck, and airplane traffic.

Aerosols are tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the air that reduce visibility and can damage the human lungs and heart.

The data via ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, show averaged nitrogen dioxide concentrations over India from 1 January to 24 March 2020 and 25 March (the first day of the lockdown) to 20 April 2020 – compared to the same time-frame as last year.



ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, said, "Another interesting feature we can see from these images is the maritime traffic across the Indian Ocean. We can clearly see a faint trail of nitrogen dioxide emissions left in the atmosphere as commercial ship traffic appears almost the same as last year. The shipping lanes appear as a straight line because the ships follow more or less the exact same route."



Moving on to NASA's report, the american space agency's satellite sensors observed aerosol levels at a 20-year low for this time of year in northern India. Every year, aerosols from human-made (anthropogenic) sources contribute to unhealthy levels of air pollution in many Indian cities.

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a measure of how light is absorbed or reflected by airborne particles as it travels through the atmosphere. If aerosols are concentrated near the surface, an optical depth of 1 or above indicates very hazy conditions. An optical depth, or thickness, of less than 0.1 over the entire atmospheric vertical column is considered “clean.” The data were retrieved by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.

The first five maps below, made available by NASA Terra satellite, show AOD measurements over India during the same March 31 to April 5 period for each year from 2016 through 2020. The sixth map (anomaly) shows how AOD in 2020 compared to the average for 2016-2019.

Indian Cities Saw ~40-50% Drop in Air Pollution following Lockdown - NASA & EU Space Agency

No comments 0
After Coronavirus pandemic started spreading in the country, the lockdown imposed by the Indian government across Indian states has shown a positive effect on air quality across India. COVID-19 lockdown that started on 25 March, has made the air-quality improved in the country with a remarkable reduction in pollution levels across major Indian cities, especially northern India.

According to a report by the European Space Agency (ESA), Mumbai and Delhi have witnessed a significant reduction of around 40 to 50% of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) compared to the same period last year.

An another report by NASA says that -- after just a week of reduced human activities, NASA satellite sensors observed aerosol levels at a 20-year low for this time of year in Northern India. This is due to the country-wide lock-down mandate that resulted in decreased activity at factories and severely reduced car, bus, truck, and airplane traffic.

Aerosols are tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the air that reduce visibility and can damage the human lungs and heart.

The data via ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, show averaged nitrogen dioxide concentrations over India from 1 January to 24 March 2020 and 25 March (the first day of the lockdown) to 20 April 2020 – compared to the same time-frame as last year.



ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, said, "Another interesting feature we can see from these images is the maritime traffic across the Indian Ocean. We can clearly see a faint trail of nitrogen dioxide emissions left in the atmosphere as commercial ship traffic appears almost the same as last year. The shipping lanes appear as a straight line because the ships follow more or less the exact same route."



Moving on to NASA's report, the american space agency's satellite sensors observed aerosol levels at a 20-year low for this time of year in northern India. Every year, aerosols from human-made (anthropogenic) sources contribute to unhealthy levels of air pollution in many Indian cities.

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a measure of how light is absorbed or reflected by airborne particles as it travels through the atmosphere. If aerosols are concentrated near the surface, an optical depth of 1 or above indicates very hazy conditions. An optical depth, or thickness, of less than 0.1 over the entire atmospheric vertical column is considered “clean.” The data were retrieved by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.

The first five maps below, made available by NASA Terra satellite, show AOD measurements over India during the same March 31 to April 5 period for each year from 2016 through 2020. The sixth map (anomaly) shows how AOD in 2020 compared to the average for 2016-2019.

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